The changes came into effect few days ago when the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) officially announced that it has finally implemented the new rules.
It prompted several affected Gambians to seek legal advice over the issue while others busy adjusting themselves with the new reality.
With the current criteria, the previously accepted timeframe to “change, rectify and adjust” documents may no longer be admissible.
Prior to the changes, Gambians were allowed to submit incomplete applications with the opportunity to either rectify or adjust them at a later date.
In contrast, currently there would be no more extensions and postponements or even rearrangements to rectify incomplete applications.
During investigation, The Point further understands that affected Gambians found it more challenging than initially anticipated as most of them didn’t fully account for the potential downsides and difficulties.
Responding to this correspondent, a Gambian national, Sait Jawara noted: “We always feel at home here; however, this is more than what we bargained for. Now the authorities will not only disallow incomplete applications but also will not even tolerate any missing legally required documents. Thus, it would profoundly affect us because it is always difficult to gather all the papers required at once”.
This correspondent also learnt that the previous practice of permitting applicants 10 days to rectify mistakes or errors would also be disallowed under the new rules and therefore may render an application unregistered resulting to cancellation.
Despite severe criticisms from legal practitioners who pointed out that the new rules is in contradiction to the country’s Code of Administrative Procedure obliging it to notify applicants of the need to remove defects or flaws in documents and if possible correct them is either ignored or violated.
However the authorities have strongly argued that the change is necessary to “reflect the country’s wider effort to modernize its immigration system”.
The new rules will be enforced on April, 28, 2025.
